Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay

Muhammad Ali and friends take on the evils of sugary snacks.

I'd heard about this record years ago, and it sounded pretty good. I finally picked up a copy the other day, and -- sweet jesus -- this thing is better than anything I could have hoped for. It could be the single best record I own.

Start with Muhammad Ali spending 40 minutes discussing tooth decay. Add appearances by celebrity guest stars like Frank Sinatra and Richie Havens, a bunch of kids, and some truly wooden dialog straight out of a dental textbook. Throw in a song that doesn't make any sense. And if that isn't enough for you, top it off with narration by Howard Cosell.

It was more than enough for me. A sugar high is nothing compared to what I felt listening to this treasure. One track isn't enough. You want to listen to the whole thing straight through, like I did, and you want to do it twice to catch all the details. Then you want to play it in your car. Your walkman. Your bathroom -- while brushing and flossing your teeth, of course. One thing is for sure, I'll never look at ice cream the same way again.

Oh, and one more thing -- check out this amazing artwork from the back cover featuring trippy cartoon versions of Ali and the gang relaxing in Brother St. John's organic garden. Far out!

Mr. Tooth Decay
says:
I'd like to know what happens after Mr. Cosell informs us that the "gang is driven to a house on the top of a small mountain."
(08-21-2002)

Joseph Gallant
(notquite@hotmail.com)
says:
I wasn't surprised that Howard Cosell narrated this album. He was just about the only member of the news media who defended Ali during his fight with Selective Service. It is my understanding that despite their occassional "disagreements" in on the air interviews, that Ali and Cosell were actually very close friends.
(08-20-2002)